Carlos Gutierrez is the cofounder and executive director of Cinema Tropical. Cinema Tropical combines traditional distribution with non-profit tools. Ultimately artistic, political or social validation becomes a key part of Cinema Tropical getting their films seen.

"Basically cinema is enabling other fields and art-forms to thrive," says Carlos. With more films produced then shown the production and engagement of cinema is out of proportion.

To Carlos the mingling of film styles hasn't had a meaningful discourse.

"These days the production is much more mixed... for example Asian cinema has had such a major influence on Latin Cinema, but that relationship isn't recognized."

Carlos Gutierrez is the cofounder and executive director of Cinema Tropical. Cinema Tropical combines traditional distribution with non-profit tools. Ultimately artistic, political or social validation becomes a key part of Cinema Tropical getting their films seen.

"Basically cinema is enabling other fields and art-forms to thrive," says Carlos. With more films produced then shown the production and engagement of cinema is out of proportion.

To Carlos the mingling of film styles hasn't had a meaningful discourse.

"These days the production is much more mixed... for example Asian cinema has had such a major influence on Latin Cinema, but that relationship isn't recognized."

Welcome to the fourth session of FLEFF Lab Friday! I'll be live-blogging this session with Costa Boutsikaras, director of Inhabit, and Deia Schlosberg, director of Backyard, so post any questions you may have for the filmmakers in the comments section of this post!

Deia Schlosberg made Backyard as her Master's thesis at Montana State University. Originally aiming to make a film about deceptive information practices, Schlosberg found herself very intrigued by the phenomenon of fracking, particularly the amount of corruption that perpetuates destructive environmental practices.

Welcome to the fourth session of FLEFF Lab Friday! I'll be live-blogging this session with Costa Boutsikaras, director of Inhabit, and Deia Schlosberg, director of Backyard, so post any questions you may have for the filmmakers in the comments section of this post!

Deia Schlosberg made Backyard as her Master's thesis at Montana State University. Originally aiming to make a film about deceptive information practices, Schlosberg found herself very intrigued by the phenomenon of fracking, particularly the amount of corruption that perpetuates destructive environmental practices.

UFOs, "cyber magicians" and references to buffalo meat all pop up in the augmented book Art For Spooks.

To create the book Nicholas Knouf and Claudia Pedersen culled out images from leaked NSA documents. Knouf works as a professor of media studies at Wellesley College while Pedersen writes and lectures on modern art with a focus on technology.

The act of viewing the book through its app scrambles the data displayed on the page. Then the app uploads the data to social media platforms. Lastly algorithmic manipulation scatters the data's point of origin.

UFOs, "cyber magicians" and references to buffalo meat all pop up in the augmented book Art For Spooks.

To create the book Nicholas Knouf and Claudia Pedersen culled out images from leaked NSA documents. Knouf works as a professor of media studies at Wellesley College while Pedersen writes and lectures on modern art with a focus on technology.

The act of viewing the book through its app scrambles the data displayed on the page. Then the app uploads the data to social media platforms. Lastly algorithmic manipulation scatters the data's point of origin.

I'm currently sitting here in what is a very crowded, very warm Park 223, at the very end of FLEFF Lab Friday!

The day has has featured intimate, conversational sessions with Andrew Loewnethal, executive director and co-founder of Engage Media, Leila Nadir and Car Peppermint of new media collective EcoArtTech, Laura Kissel, Ithaca alumni and director of Cotton Road, Ernesto Livon-Grosman, director of Cartoneros and Brasco, Vanessa Domico, founder of Outcast Films, Jonathan Miller, international radio and print journalist, Irina Aristarkhova, new media theorist and art history scholar, and Rodrigo Brandao, Ithaca alumni and distributor for distribution...

I'm currently sitting here in what is a very crowded, very warm Park 223, at the very end of FLEFF Lab Friday!

The day has has featured intimate, conversational sessions with Andrew Loewnethal, executive director and co-founder of Engage Media, Leila Nadir and Car Peppermint of new media collective EcoArtTech, Laura Kissel, Ithaca alumni and director of Cotton Road, Ernesto Livon-Grosman, director of Cartoneros and Brasco, Vanessa Domico, founder of Outcast Films, Jonathan Miller, international radio and print journalist, Irina Aristarkhova, new media theorist and art history scholar, and Rodrigo Brandao, Ithaca alumni and distributor for distribution...

Vanessa Domico and her distribution company, Outcast Films, are taking the film industry by storm and rattling the cages of the "norm."

Domico will be attending the 2014 Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival in support of Outcast's newest film Shored Up, a documentary about Hurricane Sandy and its devastating impacts on the New Jersey shore, the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and parts of the New York coastline. In addition, she will be making appearances all over the festival and offering practical advice to students at the well-known FLEFF Lab Friday event.

Domico started Outcast Films in November 2004 in order to create a space for gay, lesbian, and queer films to be distributed. But in order to adapt to a changing market, Outcast has increasingly begun distributing environmental films in addition to their trademark gay, lesbian, and queer lineup. Shored Up is one...

Vanessa Domico and her distribution company, Outcast Films, are taking the film industry by storm and rattling the cages of the "norm."

Domico will be attending the 2014 Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival in support of Outcast's newest film Shored Up, a documentary about Hurricane Sandy and its devastating impacts on the New Jersey shore, the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and parts of the New York coastline. In addition, she will be making appearances all over the festival and offering practical advice to students at the well-known FLEFF Lab Friday event.

Domico started Outcast Films in November 2004 in order to create a space for gay, lesbian, and queer films to be distributed. But in order to adapt to a changing market, Outcast has increasingly begun distributing environmental films in addition to their trademark gay, lesbian, and queer lineup. Shored Up is one...

Rodrigo Brandão, director of publicity for Kino Lorber, began his film career as a Cinema and Photography, Art History double major at Ithaca College. Before he rose through the ranks of independent film distribution, Brandão was a projectionist for Film Aesthetics and Analysis.

Brandão’s work supports films which challenge the status quo. As one of the largest independent film distributors in the world, Kino Lorber invests in dissonant projects such as Who is Dayani Cristal?, The New Public, and The Rocket, all films which will screen at FLEFF this year.

Rodrigo Brandão, director of publicity for Kino Lorber, began his film career as a Cinema and Photography, Art History double major at Ithaca College. Before he rose through the ranks of independent film distribution, Brandão was a projectionist for Film Aesthetics and Analysis.

Brandão’s work supports films which challenge the status quo. As one of the largest independent film distributors in the world, Kino Lorber invests in dissonant projects such as Who is Dayani Cristal?, The New Public, and The Rocket, all films which will screen at FLEFF this year.

What's the best part about Friday during FLEFF week? FLEFF Lab Friday of course! Shawn and Andrew are here live blogging the event for everyone who couldn't make it to Park 220 today in person.

We are starting with Ulises Mejias, author of Off the Network: Disrupting the Digital, discussing Augmented Reality Games.

10:13 AM - "Every crisis is an opportunity, but sometimes you don't get enough crises."

10:15 AM - "Play it before you live it [by] constructing scenarios about things that could happen in your community, and then using this platform to create dialogue." This year in particular, Mejias is discussing the all-too accessible issue of fracking.

10:20 AM - Mejias discusses how he gets his students on campus to participate in these games through an interactive, virtual experience. The goals range from the conceptual ability to create dialogue by writing comments and sending...

What's the best part about Friday during FLEFF week? FLEFF Lab Friday of course! Shawn and Andrew are here live blogging the event for everyone who couldn't make it to Park 220 today in person.

We are starting with Ulises Mejias, author of Off the Network: Disrupting the Digital, discussing Augmented Reality Games.

10:13 AM - "Every crisis is an opportunity, but sometimes you don't get enough crises."

10:15 AM - "Play it before you live it [by] constructing scenarios about things that could happen in your community, and then using this platform to create dialogue." This year in particular, Mejias is discussing the all-too accessible issue of fracking.

10:20 AM - Mejias discusses how he gets his students on campus to participate in these games through an interactive, virtual experience. The goals range from the conceptual ability to create dialogue by writing comments and sending...